According to Metro, de la Fuente pointed out that while Raya is highly regarded in England, his profile receives less attention in Spain. The coach emphasized the depth of talent, stating that in England Raya is considered the best goalkeeper in the world, while in Spain he gets little discussion. He added that Unai Simon is Unai Simon, Raya is a fantastic goalkeeper, and Alex Remiro is just as good, highlighting the competitive environment.
Unai Simon, who was Spain's goalkeeper during their successful Euro 2024 campaign, played the full 90 minutes in a 3-0 friendly win against Serbia on Friday, with Raya and Remiro on the bench and Garcia not making the squad. Spain are due to play Egypt in their next friendly on Tuesday. De la Fuente has refused to confirm whether David Raya, Alex Remiro or Joan Garcia will get a chance to impress in Spain's friendly against Egypt.
I can't clear up any doubts for you. The best news is that I have no doubts at all. I have complete confidence in them. There's something special about them.
He expressed confidence in all four goalkeepers, noting that the best news is seeing that all four goalkeepers, regardless of who was left out, embraced each other and are encouraging one another. The specific criteria de la Fuente is using to evaluate the goalkeepers for World Cup selection remain unclear, as does the timeline for his final decision. He asserted that he doesn't have to reaffirm Unai's place and explained that it would be unfair if they didn't value Unai's quality, class, career, and professional experience.
The best news is seeing that all four goalkeepers, regardless of who was left out, embraced each other and are encouraging one another.
Unai Simon is Unai Simon, Raya is a fantastic goalkeeper, and Alex Remiro is just as good.
We'll see what happens between now and Tuesday, but I have no doubts. My only regret is leaving one out. Let's wait and see, don't be in such a hurry, and enjoy not only these four goalkeepers but also some of the others we have.
I don't have to reaffirm Unai's place.
It would be unfair if we didn't value Unai's quality, class, career, and professional experience. It would be absurd for me to have to come here and reaffirm it, just because he's Unai Simon. When a goalkeeper is at this level, you have to respect his standing and his career.
Besides, we have David Raya, who I'm eager for you to ask me about. In England, they consider him the best goalkeeper in the world, and here nobody talks about him.
The same goes for Joan Garcia and Alex Remiro, let's be fair. But Unai Simon is indisputable. The others have a lot of talent and class, but everything in its own time.
We haven't changed the goalkeepers because we understand that they are special positions and need to be treated differently, but I insist that we have three other impressive goalkeepers besides Unai.